Improvement in railroad car-trucks



PATENTED DEG.4 15, 1863. y

A. P. SMITH. RAILROAD CAR TRUCK.

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UNITED 'STATES PATENT Garros.

lALBA F. SMITHF NoRWofr, CONNECTICUT.

iMPsovEMENT- in RAILROAD- CAR-TRUCKS.

To 'all whom it may concern:

lle it known that I, ALBA F.' SMITH, of Norwieh, n the count-y of New London, -in the State of Conneih superintendent; of the' Iluds'on ltiver Railroad, inthe- State of New York,-have inventetLa certain new Aand useful Improvement inthe Mode ot Hanging the Swing-Beam in Railroad-Car. Trucks; and I do hereby-declare that the following is a full and exact description ot' the sinne, which l2v have prepared with a view to thoobtaining o." Letters Patent therefor.

'lho accompanyingdrawings form a' part of this vdescription and specilication. a

Figure 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 a crosssection, 'ofv a truck in which my. improvement is introduced, similar letters'of reference rei'crriug to like parts in both ilgures.

The only novelties in this truck relate to the tin-ted parts .lilN, which take the place ot the' ordinary long-suspension links. lm my invention parts M are rigidly secured to the wedbelaingdieains A ofthe truck, and short suspension-links N are. jointed to the lower cud vtheileot' by pins in, so that while the -height of the swing beam l is the lsame as with the ordinary long suspension-links, and consequently the space for the springs() and the elevation ofthe swinging bolster l), is the saine as usual, the radins on which rhesuspended parts swingis unich lessthan usual. Gross-bars a lie in suitablel seats across the, top 0i' the. bearing-beams A, as usual. Similar cross-bars,- b, extend across the underside ofthe swingbeams lh'as usual, and the een ters of the correspiuling.,r hars a. and b are some twenty or more inches apart, as usual.

.In the common mode ot'lianging the swingleun single links extend fiom a to Il, and are -ireev to turn ou each, so that the r'adius on which the ear and all the parts-resting upon li swings is twenty inches ormore. ln my invention the. bar a supports the weight upon in. thestime inanner'as in the ordinaryY construction; butthe links M, which depend therefrom, are not free to swing. 0n the contrary, they are bolted rigidly to the sides of A by the bolts L, as represented, andthe swinging suspension-links N are only about nine inches or less' in length; or `by prolonging M and shortening Nthe radius on which the car and all the suspended parts swing may be made as small as may he desired, in order to preveut,hy the 'action of the suspension-links alone, any too' 'great lateral motion of the car.

`swing-lz-cams hung according to my invention, as also those ordinarilyl suspended, allow the car toswing freely to a certain extent toward either side of the road independently tof. the truelg; but in the ordinary mod 'ethe radius on which the swinging motion is per formed is so great that gravity alone does'not check the motion withinthe proper limits, andtherc require-s to be employed other means of restrainingthe saine. The common mode of eilecting' such restraint is,v to make the swinging bolster l) ot' suolilength that its ends will strike' againsttheinner sides of thev truck-beams E at. the end ot'its propcrfmoveviolence, or through the action ot' al spring ini trodueed' to soften the shock. With my i n,' venton no such check is required, and gravity alone issuiliojent to restrain the motion within proper limits. I

I-have tested -the invention practically and' and a more gentle action ou the rolling-stock l and the track.

llaving now tully described my invention,

Letters laient, is-

1. Susptnidiu g the car to the truck by freely- Swinging links of so short radius that the gravity-ot' the parts alone willeireetively re-v strain the lateral niotion at high. velocities, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The employment of the within-described tixed straps M, swinging suspending-links N, joint m, and bars a b, or their respective equivalerits, arranged substantially as shown, whereby the. vertical strain is borne by the top of' the bearing-beam A and base ot' the swngbeam 13, as us'ual, and a shorter radiuscof lateral motion secured with the advantage' specified.

ALBA F. SMITH.

Witnesses:

Tues. D. STE'rsoN, D. W. Emerson.

ircutsJ striking either directly and with great v and it oi' great importance. With tholligll producing-a. inoreagremible `motion in the ear what I claim as new, and desire to secure by 

